66 



RECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



R. I. Pocock, 1901 5 , has endeavoured to save from oblivion the 

 generic name Necrophheophagus, and has used it for some 

 Australian species amongst which is G. curtipes, Haase. This 

 could only be justified if 1st, G. longicomis, the type of New- 

 port's genus, proved to be generically different from the other 

 true Geophihis species : and if 2nd, the Australian species were 

 found to be congeneric with G. longicomis. Whatever might be 

 the position of G. longicomis can still be disputed, but it is 

 certain that at least G. curtipes cannot he placed alongside with 

 G. longicomis from which it differs by the structure of the 

 second maxilla?, by the number of joints of the anal legs, &c, &c. 



Geomerinus curtipes (Haase), 1887. 

 (Figs. 18-25). 



Geophilus curtipes, Haase, Ber. K. Zool. Mus. Dresden, 



1886-1887. 

 Geophihis curtipes, Attems, Zool. Jahrb., xviii., heft 2, 1903. 

 Necrophheopliagus curtipes, Pocock, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 



(7), viii., 1901. 



A strongly chitinized, dark coloured species, resembling a 

 Mecistocephalus ; parallel sided in front, slightly tapering in the 

 second half. 



9 : Length 67 mm. 

 — Breadth of the first 

 tergum 210 mm.; of 

 the penultimate, 1 nun. 

 — 71 pair of legs. 



Cephalic plate much 

 longer than broad (in 

 the proportion of 260 

 to 1'70), anterior 

 margin reaching the 

 base of the claws of 

 maxillipedes. Anter- 

 ior and posterior mar- 

 gins almost straight; 

 lateral margins slight- 

 ly and unevenly curved, the greatest width 

 being in the posterior half. Surface showing two very faint 

 longitudinal impressions in front of the posterior margin, and a 



Fig. 18. O. curtipes, 

 Haase. Cephalic 

 plate and tergum 



; of maxillipedes. 



Fig. 19. (7. curtipes, 

 Haase. Cephalic plate, 

 ventral view. 



5 Pocock— Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7), viii., p. 339. 



